Camping

Camping

Camping in Wilson’s Creek
Several times a year my son Will and I head up highway 181 to Wilson’s creek to go camping. Any weekend that we don’t have plans, Will asks if we could go. I usually say yes because we don’t have many free weekends.
It all starts on Fridays when I get off from work. I head home and get Will who is seven and kiss my wife bye. She doesn’t camp because she doesn’t like wet or cold. I always have the necessities packed the days before. Once we are in the truck we head out on the road. Driving on pavement is fine but when we get to Brown Mountain Beach Road it’s a different story. It all depends on the time of year and recent weather. If we have had a lot of rain then the road is like a washboard and it will jar your teeth loose. If it has been dry then the dust will choke you. During the dusty periods you really hate seeing other cars because when they pass it takes a while for the dust cloud to settle.
At the camp site all you hear is the wonderful sound of the creek flowing downstream, I always setup camp right next to the crystal clear stream. Will always throws rocks in the creek. I hear a splash and then him laughing. This continues while I finish setting up the tent. He always wants to help when it comes to the fire. I laugh at him stomping through the forest gathering wood. By the time the fire is built Will is usually wet from sweat and the moisture of a heavy mountain dew on the plants. The sun is starting to set and the breeze starts getting more frigid.
When it gets dark we sit around the fire in comfortable quad chairs. We listen to the fire crackle and the sound of nature. You always hear the bubbling of the creek and the crickets singing their pleasant tunes. I always sit close to the fire and the scalding flames burn my face. When you look around the camp site you can’t see anything but the light of the flames dancing on the trees. In the sky I see nothing but the bright, full moon shining. Will and I sit around the fire...